§ 34. Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress in his plans for reforming the Probation Service. [112607]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Government plan to create a unified service for England and Wales, which will have a national headquarters and 42 local boards. Provision for the structural changes needed to achieve this will be included in the forthcoming Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill. We expect these changes to create a service which is better able to play its part in protecting the public and reducing re-offending. The new service will concentrate on enforcing community sentences so that they command public confidence, and will use offender programmes—the What Works programmes—which have a proven record in reducing re-offending behaviour. Work on improving enforcement and implementing What Works is already well under way.